ELOISE is a thematic network instigated by the Commission of the European Union where coastal zone research is combined to focus on the important questions of
how the land-ocean interaction operates, and of how this is influenced by human activities.

By nurturing a coherent European coastal zone research network of high scientific value and of direct relevance to society,
it is intended that ELOISE can directly contribute to activities in the fields of integrated coastal zone management and spatial planning.

Since inception, ELOISE has comprised a total of 55 projects, 26 of which are currently active. This renders it the world's largest
coastal research initiative. In addition to its support in the development of European policy, ELOISE represents the coordinated official European Union
input to the LOICZ (Land Ocean Interaction in the Coastal Zone) Core Project of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

ELOISE is funded by the European Union, with additional external co-support, and is managed by the ELOISE Consortium and Secretariat, consisting of The Institute for Environmental Studies, IVM, Amsterdam; The National Institute of Ecology, Centre for Estuarine and Coastal Ecology (NIOO) Yerseke, Netherlands; The Centre for Socio-Economic Research on
the Global Environment (CSERGE)/Tyndall Centre at University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK; The Centre for Ecological Economics, NILU, Kjeller, Norway.